MY PHARMACIST, MY COACH    Personal advice that comes with wellness programs is becoming more sensitive to individual needs My high school friend Teddy Zancha took his diabetes with good humor. Diagnosed as a Type 1 insulin dependent diabetic as an adult rather than as a juvenile, he didn't let the disease interfere with his drive and appetites. He was a big guy (my size) and liked beer and barbecue and took multiple shots of insulin each day to control his blood sugar. He laughed about his medical care and health coaching. "These nurses," he told me once, after I had been diagnosed as a Type 2 adult-onset diabetic, "don't know nothing. When they were teaching me to inject, they told me to practice on an orange-like that would be anything like sticking a needle in my big gut. They told me to find a spot on my body with a little fat for a needle site. Ha! I could throw the needle in the air and it could land anywhere!" Teddy retired early from a major retailer where he spent 25 years installing heating and air-conditioning systems. Then he started a successful HVAC trade school to train technicians for one of the most stable employment fields in the country. Teddy did everything right except manage his diabetes. He died in 2004 at age 50 after two amputations and deadly complications. He had good health insurance and medical care, but lousy disease coaching and education. Teddy wasn't alone, of course. According to the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, nearly half of the nation's adult population has a chronic disease like diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol. Some of us, sad to say, have all three. And the cost to the health care system is about $200 billion a year. Click here for the complete article …

POISED FOR GROWTH    Improving South Florida economy spurs client interest in benefits Today the sun shines brightly in South Florida. But beginning in 2008, the sun did not shine quite as brightly on the local economy, with construction slowing and unemployment rising. Leading independent agency Frank H. Furman Insurance Inc., in Pompano Beach, Florida, has had to work hard and evolve quickly to maintain revenue levels, as employers reduced headcounts and cut operations. But the local economy is rebounding in 2012 and so is agency growth, says Furman Agency President Dirk DeJong. And the agency's employee benefit services have the firm poised for stable growth as local businesses increase employee count and revenues. "The economy has created a large bump in the road for our clients and our agency over the past few years," he explains. "Employers reduced headcount, which led to a significant reduction in insurance premiums and employee benefits revenues." The insurance industry had also cut back on resources provided to clients and compensation to agents, putting some additional strain on agencies to maintain their level of service to clients, he says. "But now we are starting to see growth again in some of our core businesses, including manufacturing and construction. And as these businesses rehire employees and build for their growth, they are coming back with an understanding that employee benefits are one of the key attributes of a successful company, and main driver of successful recruitment and retention of talented employees," he states. Click here for the complete article …